Saturday, February 07, 2009

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is now accepting applications from undergraduates for the summer 2009 archaeological field school in the Lau Islands, Fiji. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to excavate archaeological sites, make a meaningful contribution to understanding the past lifeways of Fijian peoples, and experience another culture. We will accept nine undergraduate students from all majors and of any level (freshman-senior), for the 2009 fieldschool who will receive funding to cover plane fare, living expenses, and each will be provided a stipend for completing this 9-week experience (June-July). We are interested in recruiting students from all backgrounds; it is not necessary to have had prior archaeological experience to apply. Applications for the Program should be requested from the project PI, Dr. Sharyn Jones, sharynj@uab.edu. Recruiting will begin immediately; the deadline for application is March 10, 2009.

FAQS for Students:What is an REU?The National Science Foundation has developed an REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) grant competition that provides funding to universities that create opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to participate in "hands-on" scientific research. Our REU involves anthropological research in archaeology and cultural anthropology in Fiji. UAB anthropologist, Dr. Jones, is the program leader for a two-year grant that will provide funds for 18 students to participate in a summer field school based in Fiji. Nine students will participate in an archaeology program this summer (2009). Next summer, a different group of nine students will participate in a cultural anthropology and ethnohistory program (2010).

Request application materials and guidelines from Sharyn Jones at sharynj@uab.edu. The deadline for application is March 10, 2009. Check out the NSF REU FIji Program website: http://hulamo.com/2009_NSF_REU_Fieldschool_in_Fiji/Home.html